


horns and tails

by SebGray



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Blow Jobs, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Poisoning, Sexual Roleplay, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-10-25 04:40:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20718248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebGray/pseuds/SebGray
Summary: Caleb and Jester are in the heart of Nicodranas, hiding from both the Cerberus Assembly and from Lord Sharp. However, their disguises just so happen to involve a fake marriage and real feelings.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, tw for blood/injuries, poison, and talks about death and dying.

It was agreed that Caleb and Jester would go into Nicodranas towards the Lavish Chateau alone. They'd gotten into a tough fight on the way, they were all tired, and they didn't have enough money for everyone to stay close to the Chateau, which was closed at this point in the night. Plus, Caleb had told the others something that he did not tell Jester, and they all agreed it would be best to separate for a little.

Jester pulled her hood closer to her face, hiding a bit more as they walked through the streets of Nicodranas. They were in a bit of solemn silence, still a bit aching and hurt from the fight. Plus, she felt really sick. She’d restored as much of her health as she could, but she felt weak. As they got closer to the inn, Caleb stopped Jester and said, "We should both cast disguises. Just in case."

"Both of us?" Jester asked.

"Ja, ja, both." Caleb nodded. He sifted through his pockets and grabbed some spell components. "Do you have any spells left?"

Jester sighed. "I have only one spell slot left, but I can only do Disguise Self."

"Okay. Do you want to disguise yourself as a tiefling? That way, you don't have to hide your tail. I know you don't like doing that."

"I can do that." She cast the spell, turning into a light pink tiefling about the same size as she was, with different colored clothes and soft white hair and red eyes that were like Molly's. 

Caleb nodded at the change. "I am going to cast Polymorph. I only have a level four spell slot left, so I might as well use it."

"Makes sense." Jester watched as Caleb turned into another tiefling, a dark bluish-purple one with deep blue hair and tall horns and a tail that wound around his leg. His clothes had a similar shape, but were much finer, with golden embroidery and stitching.

"That looks nice," said Jester. A smile formed on her face as her sweet, silly voice returned. "We're like the couple from Horns and Tails, aren't we?" She giggled. The book was another smutty romance she got on a whim, mostly because the two main characters were from Nicodranas and the Zemni Fields. They both read it to see how accurately it described their homes. Neither were entirely satisfied with the portrayals, but it definitely was amongst the better-written porn either had read.

Caleb nodded and shrugged. "I suppose we are. Shall we?"

Jester nodded, hooking her arm with his. "Yep!"

They approached the inn, feeling tired still, but a bit more chipper. Jester's spirit had returned and her happiness always ebbed into Caleb, if only a little.

The inside of the inn and tavern was mostly empty, with just a bored-looking innkeeper sitting at the desk and a barkeeper waiting at the bar. The innkeeper was an elf, and his ears perked up at the sight of the two. "Hello! Welcome to the Painted Lily. How can I help?" He sounded tired but eager to please.

Caleb nodded. "Ja, I would like a room, please."

The innkeeper smiled. "Ah, yes. For you and the wife?"

For a moment, Jester and Caleb shared a glance. Then they both looked back at the elven man and said, "Yes." Jester pressed against Caleb and he awkwardly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, lovely. Are you newlyweds?"

"Ah, no," replied Caleb. "We've been married for a year now."

Jester grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled. "Yep! We're visiting my family. So, if anyone asks if we're here, tell them we're not, okay?" She handed over an extra gold from her pocket.

"Of course," said the innkeeper as he pocketed the gold. He got them signed in (they gave fake names, of course) and handed them a key once they paid. It was a little cheaper than they expected, though Jester figured the gold helped. "Well, I'll make sure you guys are well treated. We can hold some breakfast for you? Let you sleep in a little later?"

"Ja, that'd be nice. Thank you." He led Jester up the stairs to their room. Once they were in the hallway, they separated a little, and Jester smiled and laughed a little. 

"I can't believe we just said that!" she said in an especially loud whisper. "Now we're really like that one couple in Horns and Tails."

"A little, I suppose. But he was pink and she was blue." He went to their room and fumbled with the key. “Ah, everything is so much harder with new hands. Can you do this for me? You are so much better with talons.”

Jester smiled, teasing as she slipped past him, tail tracing his legs. “Oh, so you’re saying I’m good with my hands, Caleb?” She giggled as she clicked open the door. It didn’t swing open; the hinges were old and creaked badly.

“Well,” Caleb said after wincing at the noise, “you would have to be in order to be such a good artist.”

“Aw, thank you, Caleb.” Jester pushed open the door and led Caleb in and stopped. There was only one bed. Normally, she got two, or she shared with Beau or Nott or something, but she’d never shared with a guy before.

Caleb stopped at the bed after closing the door. “Ah. That is why it was so cheap.” He dropped the disguise and dropped his stuff. “I will take the floor.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Jester said, letting her own disguise poof away. “I don’t mind sharing. Plus, you got stabbed like, twice, so, no hard floors for you.”

“Didn’t you get stabbed too?” Caleb asked. 

Jester didn’t answer. She had already repaired all her clothes, so her injuries were hidden, but they still ached. “I’m fine.”

“Are you really okay or are you just lying to get me off your back?” Caleb raised his eyebrows and looked deep into her eyes with his pretty blue ones.

“I’m fine.” She shrugged and took off her cloak.

“Would you like me to step out to give you privacy?” Caleb mumbled.

“You don’t have to. Just turn your back. I don’t mind.” Then Jester smiled and tried to pose alluringly, ready to tease Caleb, only to wince painfully when she accidentally opened a stab wound she thought she had healed up enough. She ended up bent over in pain, cursing up a storm in Infernal as she felt more blood slowly ooze out of her wound. 

Caleb hurried to her side. “Jester, Jester are you okay?”

“I thought I was. Fuck! I shouldn’t have fucking done that!” Caleb helped her to the bed as she tried to stop the bleeding.

“Okay, okay,” Caleb said, in a mild panic. “I’ve got another healing potion. Nott gave it to me before we left.” He pulled it out of his pocket, dug out the stopper with his short fingernails, and handed the bottle to Jester. She drained it like she was chugging ale. Once it was all gone, she fell back onto the bed. The pain was gone and the bleeding had stopped, but she still felt sick and weak. “Are you alright?” Caleb asked, leaning over her. “Do you need anything?”

“I might need help out of this dress,” she said, half-laughing, trying to bring the mood back up.

“Are you sure? If need be I can go get help--”

“Weren’t you out of spells?” Jester asked.

“Ah. Yeah. And the innkeeper is probably still down there.” He cursed in Zemnian as he looked to the door. “As grateful as I am that you were able to find an excuse to keep people from knowing you are here, I really wish I could get someone here without going downstairs.”

“I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, Caleb. It’s not like you’re going to take everything off. And if you’re really uncomfortable I can just do it myself, I’m just feeling a little woozy after that.”

“No, no, it is fine, I just...I do not want to make you uncomfortable either, ja?” He looked down at her and smiled a little. 

Jester smiled at him. “I’ll be fine.” She sat up slowly, but then stopped, leaning forward to hold her head in her hands because the dizziness was suddenly paralyzing. 

“Are you okay?” Caleb touched her back a little, not too awkwardly for once.

“I don’t know. I just felt really dizzy...maybe it’s from the blood loss?” Jester slowly straightened, trying to breathe. Her heart was beating so fast. She hadn’t lost that much blood, had she?

“It’s okay. Should I get someone?”

“No, Caleb. We need to stay in hiding. I’ll be fine. Just...help me take this off, okay? I really don’t want to fall asleep in this?”

“Ja, ja,” Caleb said, voice stiff and nervous. He helped her to her feet as she kicked off her boots, then aided her in taking off her dress. The potion definitely helped; lifting her arms above her head no longer made her bleed. Once the dress was off, Caleb looked at her undergarments, eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you wearing so much clothing under your clothing?”

Jester snorted. “What, have you never seen a girl with her clothes off?” She once again tried to be flirty, this time employing the “seductive look over the shoulder” technique.

“I am not looking at one now!” Caleb retorted.

As this reply, Jester cracked up laughing, having to lean on Caleb or else risk losing her balance. Her face ended up buried in his chest as she slowly calmed down.

“You alright?” Caleb asked, patting her shoulder, face slowly turning red. He was trying so very, very hard not to crack a smile, but Jester’s laughter was a terrible weakness of his.

Slowly, Jester calmed down and stood up. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Caleb. That just...woo!” She giggled a little. “Okay. Okay, I’m good now. Let me show you how to get everything off.”

“Everything?” Caleb suddenly went from red to white in a flash.

“No, no, Caleb! Don’t worry. I’ll keep my chemise on. I won’t sleep naked with you. Unless you want me to?” She looked up at him again with the sweetest of smiles.

Caleb took a very deep breath, eyes shut. His face was redder than his hair. Then he opened his eyes and said, “How do you get this stuff off you?”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry.” Jester took him through the process of getting everything off. His hands shook terribly. This was fine. This should’ve been fine. They’d been to bathhouses, they’d swam on the beach, they’d been crammed together in places with very little privacy. Objectively, this was nothing. He wasn’t millimeters away from combusting just because of this, just because he happened to be helping her with all these layers of clothing. Nein. He was okay. He’d be fine. He untied the pockets around her waist that she had shown him, then she turned around. “Now what?”

“You have to take this off!” Jester pointed to the shirt thing she was wearing. Oh, gods, it had front-facing buttons. Jester must’ve seen Caleb’s eyes go wide and his blush deepen because she said, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” But then her fingers were shaking so much she couldn’t get anything undone.

“Let me,” Caleb said, very quietly. He focused on steadying his hands, trying to completely avoid thinking about the fact that his fingers were definitely inches from her breasts. Ja, no, he wasn’t thinking about it. Totally.

Meanwhile, Jester’s heart was pounding. She pressed her lips together and tried to look away from Caleb and his hands because otherwise, her silly, romance-book-loving brain would go wandering down an avenue that would probably be a bad idea to even consider. She did not like Caleb in that way. And even if she did, she doubted Caleb liked her back. The last time she had a crush on someone without confirming they liked her back, it did not end super well. Nope, she was not thinking about Caleb’s deft hands wandering over her body, his lips leaning in and kissing her neck, of him moving her to the bed and ravaging her--

Oh dear.

Jester shrugged off the corset cover and Caleb’s heart briefly stopped. Jester’s corset was a deep wine red, embroidered with golden flowers. The color contrasted with her skin and looked absolutely stunning. Caleb didn’t completely register that Jester’s breath was quickening and that it was making the image so, so much worse for him. His mind briefly imagined her in just the corset, and then his heartbeat returned with fervor. If he was not very, very careful, his desire would be all too clear, and the last thing he wanted was for Jester to know the fact that he so desperately wanted to touch her.

Jester turned back around very slowly. Her voice was soft and breathy and strained, as though someone had laced her corset too tightly. “There’s a tie right here for all of the petticoats. You’re going to have to be careful with my tail.”

“Ja,” Caleb muttered, practically whispering. His voice had been sucked out of him. He tried to breathe as he untied the petticoat and helping pull it over her head. Caleb’s fingers gently held Jester’s tail as he moved the fabric, and his fingertips felt like fire on Jester’s bare skin. She bit her lip and clenched her fists, thankful he wasn’t looking at her face. He tossed the petticoat aside, then stopped.

“Is something wrong?”

“There’s another one.”

“Yeah? I wear four petticoats?” Jester turned around to give him a “you didn’t know this?” look.

Caleb’s eyes were wide as he sharply inhaled. “There are four of them. Why are there four of them? That sounds impractical.”

“Well, they make my skirt really poofy. I have like, two more in my bag if I really want to go crazy. Also, they make a really good swishy noise when I dance.” She swayed her hips a little too excitedly to demonstrate, temporarily forgetting that she really shouldn’t do that. Caleb had to catch her by the arm before she toppled. The thrill of skin on skin made Jester’s cheeks go violet and Caleb’s flush travel to his ears. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

Caleb pulled away. “Just, be careful, okay? I do not want you to be hurt.”

Jester nodded before turning back around. Caleb went back to untying and pulling off her petticoats, but his breath was so shaky and quick that he was almost worried that he’d be the one to collapse and not Jester.

Finally, he was at the corset. Jester showed him how to unlace it, and he slowly let out the laces. She breathed in deeply, obviously glad to have the thing off. Then she turned to Caleb, smiling. Her cheeks were turning violet, and gods, she was lovely. He wanted to lean in and kiss her. And judging by the way she was leaning up and getting on tiptoe to reach him, maybe she wanted it too. He took her hand with one of his, lacing their fingers together as the other hand cupped her cheek and leaned closer until their lips were inches apart…

When Jester suddenly winced. Caleb stopped, pulling away. “You alright, Jester?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine--” Before Jester could even finish, the most intense, unimaginable pain shot through her side, where the wound had just closed. It was like being stabbed with a blade hot as the sun, and she buckled, clutching her stomach.

“Jester!” Caleb barely caught her before she fell to the floor, moving her to the bed and sitting next to her. The pain shot through her skin, moving into her guts and up to her ribs and hips. All she could do was sob and cry out. Being tortured by the Iron Shepherds was a breeze compared to this. Like a roaring inferno, it overtook her body. Caleb’s hands brushed away her hair. “Jester, Jester, what is wrong?” Her eyes were blurry with tears, and she could barely make out his face, looking down at her, desperately worried.

After a moment of squirming in agony as wave after wave of pain rolled through her veins, she started to pull up the bottom of her chemise. “I think it’s where I was stabbed. Can you see if there’s anything wrong--” Jester burst into a series of Infernal swear words, voice turning thick and throaty and strained. 

Caleb pushed up the chemise and looked at her injury. His eyes opened wide with shock. The skin where he assumed the wound had been was now black and the dark color was traveling through her veins. He could see it move under her skin. “Jester…”

“What is it?” Jester tried to strain her neck to see what he was talking about, but she was in too much pain.

“I think you were poisoned,” Caleb said. He swore in Zemnian, standing, starting to panic. “Do you remember who stabbed you? Did they have anything smeared on their blade?”

“No, because I was kind of busy beating the barbarian’s butt, I didn’t see the rogue until he was stabbing me.” Jester was about to be sassy, but then another wave of pain hit and she just weakly cried out.

“Okay, okay.” Caleb tried to think. He had no spell slots, no disguises, so he couldn’t go through the lobby to take her out to a hospital or a temple with a cleric. Furthermore, he couldn’t sneak out and sneak Caduceus in somehow because Caduceus was out of spells, too. He tried to think of what poison it could have been, but he hadn’t studied it. Whatever knowledge of poisons he had through Astrid didn’t include this.

Astrid.

Oh no.

Caleb moved to the bed. “Jester.”

“What?” Jester asked, both scared and a bit cross.

“I think I know who made the poison that did this to you.”

Jester lifted up her head and blinked at him weakly. “Who?”

“The rogue, the one who stabbed you? When he attacked me, he said he was hired by the Cerberus Assembly.”

Jester’s eyes went wide. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I…” Caleb sighed. He had no real reason. He thought not telling her would keep her safe. What a fool he was. Caleb hung his head low, not looking at Jester, too guilty to. “I was wrong to do so. I am sorry. I thought it would help if you did not know.”

“So the Cerberus Assembly is behind this?” Jester winced again. “You think they gave them the poison?”

“I think they made the poison. And I think I know who created it.” His body was starting to shake as his voice took on that sad tone it took whenever Caleb talked about his past.

“Who?” Jester asked. Her mind was too blurred with pain to think.

“Astrid.” Caleb’s voice was low and scared. “I think she is still with the Cerberus Assembly, and I believe she made the poison that is killing you.”

“Well, you don’t know that it’s killing--” She couldn’t finish the sentence without groaning in pain.

“Jester, this is probably killing you,” said Caleb. “Fuck! If only any of us had any spells left. Then we could do something about it.” He tried to go through his memory again. Combed through every conversation about poisons he had had with Astrid, every book he had read about poisons, every snippet of information. Nothing, nothing, nothing like this. Nothing that was spreading so quickly, that was causing such pain, that looked the way that that did. He held his head in his hands, completely panicked.

“Do you know what we can do?” Jester asked.

Caleb breathed, trying to think. “I cannot go downstairs through the front door. I cannot send a message. I cannot bring you out through the window. Maybe...maybe I can go on my own and bring Caduceus here?”

“No--” Jester trying to exclaim, but her voice turned into a rough sob part of the way through. “Caleb, you can’t go. You’ll be on your own without disguises, without spells, with half of the people who were trying to kill us on the loose. If you go, you could…” He could die. Oh, Traveler, she didn’t want him to die.

“You matter more than me,” Caleb said sternly. He started to get up from the bed.

Jester grabbed Caleb’s arm with what little strength she had left. Thankfully it was enough to stop him. “Caleb, if you die before you can get help, then we’re both screwed.” He turned towards her. His face was utterly torn up, and for the first time since she’d met him, tears were in his eyes. “Caleb, please. Stay here. Get some rest so you can disguise yourself in the morning. Give Caduceus time to rest as well. That way we’ll know for sure that someone can heal me without us possibly getting killed.”

Caleb frowned, then shook his head. “Jester, you could be dead by morning. You could be dead by the time Caduceus gets here. We don’t know how fast this will act. We don’t know how much damage it can do.” He pulled away from her, and she made a weak sound of protest. “I can’t let you die, Jester. I’ve already killed too many people. I can’t kill you, too.” Caleb gathered up some rope from Jester’s Haversack, trying to ignore her cries of protest, her begging, her sobs. It was one of the most difficult things he had done. His heart had been broken so many times, he had thought he was immune to the pain of it.

Gods, how he was wrong.

He opened the window and turned one more time to Jester. She was weeping, reaching out towards him still, too weak to get out of the bed. “Caleb, please,” she begged one last time. “Please, don’t go. I don’t want you to die.”

“I don’t want you to, either, Jester.” His hand briefly reached towards hers, wanting to touch her so badly. But then he pulled away, clenching his fist. He tied the rope to the leg of the desk by the window, got up on it, and carefully climbed down.

Jester’s screams of anguish rang in his ears as he ran down the street.


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for canon typical violence

Caleb hurried through the streets, not even trying to be stealthy at this point. He had his dagger out, and he had Fire Bolt prepared in his mind. If he saw any of those fuckers in the night, he was going to be ready for them.

But at first, he did not see them. The streets were empty. It was three forty-three in the morning after all; the city was mostly asleep. He got closer to the inn where the rest of them were staying, recalling in his mind how he and Jester had walked around town looking for books. Then his heart cracked a little more. Jester. He must hurry.

It had been a long time since Caleb had believed in gods. He remembered his parents leaving offerings to Pelor at the local temple, but starting from his youth in Soltryce he had thought gods were silly, strange, distant things that liked to play games and tricks with their followers. As he got older he knew they were distant, but they were no longer silly or strange. They were fierce and terrible and cruel and cared little about most people. He had become jaded and angry and betrayed. But now he was desperate. As Caleb moved in the night, he muttered a prayer. At first, it was to just to anyone, anyone who would listen. “Listen, you fucks. I haven’t given a shit about you in a long time, but if you give a shit about us, prove it. Show you care. Help me. Help her.” Then he thought of Jester, and then the Traveller, and he turned talking to Him instead. “I don’t even know if you’re a real god, but prove it to me. If you give a shit about your cleric, about this person who is so fucking devoted to you, help me. Show me a sign.”

A strange presence filled him, and a voice, quiet and calm, said, “It’s going to be okay. You aren’t alone, and neither is she.” Caleb could’ve sworn that out of the corner of his eye he saw a hooded figure in a green cloak, but when he turned no one was there. As he took a deep breath, he felt his mind focus, become more precise. His hands didn’t shake with fear, and his eyes felt steady. He was prepared for a fight now.

And a fight he was going to get. Outside of the inn, through a side alleyway, he saw the people who had been sent by the Cerberus Assembly standing below a window. The rogue, the one who had stabbed Jester, swung a grappling hook up to the second-floor windowsill and started to climb up. Suddenly, the rope snapped, and the rogue fell, winding themselves on the ground. While the others were distracted, Caleb took his opportunity. From his hiding spot in the shadows across the street, Caleb cast Fire Bolt. His aim was sure and true, and the blast hit the big brawny guy, singing him badly. Everyone got up, readying their weapons. Caleb stepped away from the shadows, standing in full view of them.

“So you’re the one we came here to collect?” the rogue asked. “Surrender. We all know you’re out of your magic. Make this easy for yourself.”

Caleb felt the cold cruelty from his old days fill him, but this time it was no longer something all-consuming, something that destroyed him and left him a husk of the child he was. It was a weapon. “Trust me, you made this difficult when you went for her.” And then he aimed and fired another Fire Bolt.

This one hit the rogue straight in the face, sizzling flesh and causing them to stagger back and cry out in pain. The fighter and the barbarian rushed towards Caleb, swinging their weapons at him. An ax slashed him in the chest and sword stabbed him in the side. The rogue came at him with their rapier and missed, whiffing over Caleb’s chest, the poisoned blade barely gracing over his clothes. Caleb stabbed at the barbarian with the ax and missed, then moved out of the way for the fighter’s direct attacks. Another hit from the ax came, this one coming down on his shoulder, slicing deep into the muscle. Meanwhile, the fighter stabbed towards Caleb and hit, but just barely graced him. Caleb felt the life quickly draining out of him. The rogue was prepared to stab him. If he was hit, he was dead.

“Hey, you fucks!” Nott’s voice came from the window above. She aimed down at the rogue and shot a crossbow bolt straight through their chest. The rogue fell, dead. The fighter and barbarian looked up at Nott. She added, “You get the fuck away from my boy, or you’re going to get an arrow in the head!”

The intimidation was enough to scare them away. Caleb fell to his knees, then to his stomach, and within a few moments, everyone else was outside. Caleb said Caduceus preparing to heal him, then muttered, “Nein. Jester...she’s been poisoned. She’s dying. Please, we must go to her.”

“Caleb, you’re dying!” Nott said, trying to staunch the blood as best she could.

“No, no, please.” Caleb pushed everyone away, trying to get to his feet. “We must go. Now. The poison is spreading too fast. She is in a lot of pain. She could be dead if we do not hurry.”

“Oh, fucking hell, Caleb,” said Beau. She and Fjord wrapped his arms around their shoulders and lifted so they could help him through the streets, followed closely by the others. They arrived at the inn where Caleb was staying, and he directed them to the back where the rope still was hanging. 

“Jester!” Caleb said weakly, trying to raise his voice so she could hear them. The others joined in on their cries. Caduceus climbed up first and hurried to Jester’s side to examine the wound and cast his Restoration spells. Meanwhile, Beau and Fjord followed, and Nott helped tie the rope to Caleb’s stomach so the two could lift Caleb inside. Once he was inside, they untied him and lowered the rope so Nott could climb in.

Caleb watched from the floor as Caduceus cast the spell. He could just barely see Jester’s weak, crying face, tight from pain, slowly relax as the pain went away. He tried to get up. “Is she okay? Is the poison gone?”

Caduceus nodded. “Yeah, the poison’s gone. We made it just in time. It looks like the pain may have knocked her out.” He moved to the floor. “Now, onto you.”

“Isn’t that your last spell?” Caleb asked.

“No, I’ve got one left.” He murmured a prayer to the Wildmother, and slowly Caleb’s body was filled with warmth and light, not unlike Jester’s healing. He felt some of his wounds close and his bleeding stop. The injuries and the pain weren’t completely gone, but he was better now.

“Danke, my friend,” said Caleb softly, reaching out to pat Caduceus on the arm.

“No problem,” said Caduceus. He grabbed a healer’s kit and, with the help of everyone else, undressed Caleb enough so that they could tend to the wounds and began bandaging him up. Once he was done, Beau and Fjord helped Caleb up.

Beau looked at the bed, then at Jester’s mostly undressed form, then at Caleb with a glare. “Wait. What were you two doing?”

If Caleb had enough blood to spare, he would’ve turned bright red. “Nothing that you are thinking of. She was in pain and I helped her get ready for bed. Nothing more.” He didn’t bother to mention the almost kiss. No need to share that with the others.

“Alright, if you say so,” said Beau suspiciously. 

“Are you going to share the bed?” asked Fjord.

Caleb took in a deep breath. “I’ll take the floor.”

“No, Caleb, you’re hurt,” said Nott, in a very motherly tone. “It’s a big enough bed. I’m sure Jester won’t mind.”

“She might be a little angrier if you slept on the floor in your current state,” added Caduceus.

“Yeah,” said Nott.

After a deep sigh, Caleb relented. He slowly laid down in bed, and before the others could even leave, he was out like a light.  
~~~~~  
Jester awoke to a quiet presence at the foot of her bed. She was weak and tired, but a grin came to her face as she sat up. “Hello, Traveller,” she said in a quiet voice.

“Hello, Jester. How are you feeling?” His smile was soft and his voice low and comforting.

“Much better.” She sighed, then looked over at Caleb. She hadn’t seen him come in. Instantly, her heart sank. He there was a bunch of bloody bandages all over him.

“He was attacked by the people who had attacked you earlier. But had he not gone looking, they would’ve snuck into the inn where the rest of your friends were staying and killed them.” The Traveller’s voice was grave and grim for the first time since she had met Him.

With a frown, Jester brushed the hair out of Caleb’s face, lingering a little around his forehead and cheek. She then pressed a hand against his shoulder lightly and cast Cure Wounds at the highest level she could go. Caleb stayed sleeping the whole time.

“I showed myself to him,” the Traveller said as he approached Caleb’s side of the bed. “He was angry and desperate for a sign for help. I gave him some of my focus and I did some other things for him, like snapping a rope and opening a window. But he was the true hero. He was willing to die for you.”

Jester felt tears come to her eyes. “But why would he do that?”

The Traveller smiled softly. “I’m sure you can guess.”

She looked up at him, then back down at Caleb. “Does he...love me?”

“I cannot say for sure. But I don’t know of many people who would do that for just a friend.” The Traveller turned towards her. “Don’t worry. Should you return those feelings and want to do something more with him, I definitely approve.”

“Okay,” Jester said, nodding. “I think I want to wait until we’ve talked before I do anything.”

“Alright. I’ll be here with you. No matter what. I promise.” And with that, the Traveller faded from view.

Sighing, Jester got up from the bed and stretched. She went to the mirror on the wall and lifted up her chemise to better look at her wound. When she saw her stomach, her eyes went wide. Around where the wound was, there was now a black, gnarled scar. It looked super gross, and not even in a cool way.

Behind her, the bed creaked. Jester turned, and Caleb looked at her with a blush on his cheeks. She dropped the chemise as Caleb stammered, “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to look.” He buried his head in his hands.

“Oh, Caleb, I didn’t know you wanted to see me like this,” Jester teased, covering her chest coyly.

Caleb sighed. He was exhausted, and his body ached, but it didn’t sting as it did before. “Did you use a healing spell on me?” Caleb asked.

“Yeah. You were hurt.” She said it so matter-of-factly. Of course, she’d heal him.

“Danke,” he said tiredly. He tugged at his bandages. “Could you help me check these, please?” he asked.

“Sure.” Jester moved to his side, sitting down on the bed, and helped undo the bandages. Underneath, the skin was still a bit pink. She hadn’t healed them all the way, but the skin was closed. “Looks mostly fine. Almost finished healing. Do you want me to finish the job?”

“No, it is fine. I do not mind having a few extra scars.” He smiled softly at her, barely keeping eye contact with her. He didn’t mention that he had seen her scar on her side. He didn’t want to pain her.

They sat there in silence for a moment before Jester said, “So. The Traveller told me you saw him last night.”

“Ja, I did,” Caleb confessed. “The man in the green cloak.”

“Yep! That’s him.” Jester’s happy grin returned. “Isn’t he super cool?”

Caleb nodded. “He helped, and that’s what mattered.”

“Yeah! Now you can help me tell everyone else about him!” Jester grinned excitedly.

“I suppose I can,” said Caleb. He wasn’t about to dive headfirst into devotion with just one sighting of the Traveller, but he sure as hell couldn’t deny Him.

Once again they fell into a silence, this one a bit happier than the last. Then Jester said, “Thank you. For saving me.”

“Of course. You would do the same for me.” Caleb smiled. Slowly, hesitantly, his hand went to her face, brushing a lock of bedhead-afflicted hair out of her face. His fingers traced down her forehead and cheek to her chin. Both of their hearts were suddenly leaping out of their chests. He took her chin and led her closer and closer to his lips. Then, just as they were a hair’s width from each other--

Knock, knock, knock. A voice, different from the innkeeper from the night before, said, “Hello, breakfast is ready! We got pastries!”

Jester whipped around and exclaimed, “Pastries!” Her horn slammed into his nose, and he cried out in pain. When Jester realized what she had done, she went, “Shit, shit, are you okay, Caleb?”

“Ow,” muttered Caleb. His nose was starting to bleed. He sat up and let Jester cast Cure Wounds again, then she checked to see if his nose was alright.

“It looks okay, now,” said Jester.

“It feels fine,” Caleb said with a shrug.

“I’m sorry, Caleb. I didn’t mean to.”

“Someone said pastries. I can’t blame you.” He patted her cheek and got up off the bed to get dressed. Jester sighed and watched a moment before following his lead. Then they both put up their disguises and headed downstairs.


	3. chapter three

Jester and Caleb headed downstairs. As he did, he took her hand, bringing her close to him and muttering, “Remember, we are a happily married couple visiting family.”

“I remember, Caleb,” Jester responded, giggling a little. She held his arm as she pressed up against him a little. They headed downstairs together, closer than they’d ever been, really. Jester smiled as their tails twined together. Poor Caleb had never had one of these things, so he was kind of shocked to feel them winding together, but it was an odd sensation that he liked.

There was a considerable group of people there. The atmosphere was...interesting. The room was filled with people chattering, clinking glasses and speaking raucously as the scent of cooking food seeped in from the kitchen. The bartender, a thin, elven person with red hair and green eyes, waved them over to a few seats and brought out breakfast, a simple porridge with fresh berries and powdered sugar, plus one of those Nicodranian bear claws Jester had told him about. “Would you like tea, milk, ale, coffee?” the bartender asked, with a boisterous and charming voice.

“I’ll take milk, please,” said Jester with a smile.

“Coffee, black, please, thank you,” said Caleb. Jester took his left hand with her right and held it tightly.

The bartender nodded and brought them their drinks. When they came back, they said, “So, are you guys the married couple that just came in last night?”

“Ja, that is us,” said Caleb, nodding. “We are visiting from out of town to see her family.”

“Ah, lovely. Where do you guys normally live?” the bartender smiled.

“Rexxentrum,” said Caleb. “I am from the Zemni Fields originally.”

“Really?” the bartender said, cocking their head. “Not many people from around there are tieflings.”

“Well, my parents were humans. And admittedly they weren’t...so kind to me when I was living with them. But I moved around a bit, I found a job working in some magic shops and traveled down here as part of my work and that is where I met my lovely wife.” He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek for effect. His lips were a bit chapped against her skin, but they were very warm, and Jester felt her skin flush.

“Aw, how sweet,” said the bartender. “How long have you been together?”

Jester piped up, “Today is actually our first anniversary!”

“Oh, really? Congratulations!” The bartender grabbed a huge tankard of ale -- they really should’ve noticed them sipping on it, it was already half empty, and the thing was about the size of Jester’s head -- and said to the room, “Hey, everybody! I’d like to raise a toast to this happy couple,” they pointed to Jester and Caleb with the glass, “on their first anniversary. May your life be plentiful and happy!”

People around the room clinked their glasses, and Caleb and Jester raised theirs. Someone towards the back, who was already very drunk, started chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Quickly, others joined in, including the bartender. Caleb at first was a bit reserved and nervous, but something inside Jester just kinda said screw it. She pulled Caleb down by the collar into a kiss.

The only real experiences Jester had with kisses were from reading her smutty books, conversations with her mom, and the one sort of kiss thing she had with Caleb and Fjord with the weird mouth-to-mouth things. But this...this was new. His lips were rough and warm and perfect, and his hands moved to her sides, and they might’ve forgotten about the crowd and the cheering and basically everything else in existence for a second. Just a little bit. Then they separated, and Jester subtly cast Thaumaturgy to make a bunch of tiny fireworks go off. The room settled back into what it was before, the bartender cast one last happy glance at them before moving on towards the other patrons, but there was something...different in the air. Some strange tension that had been relieved, but also some strange connection that had suddenly bound them. Underneath the counter, as they ate, they held hands tightly, fingers interwoven.

They finished breakfast, and were just about to leave to go to the Lavish Chateau when Jester muttered, “Oh, shit, I forgot my bag.” To Caleb, she said, “Honey, can you wait here while I get my backpack, please?”

“Of course, schatzie,” Caleb muttered. Jester smiled and leaned in, kissing Caleb softly on the lips. It was chaste and quick, but it still brought smiles to their faces and sent butterflies down into their stomachs. Caleb handed her the key, then turned and watched her go upstairs to their room.

Shortly after she hurried up the stairs, two people came in. They looked like guards of some sort. Tough, burly men. One was a minotaur, with long horns that went straight outwards from the sides of his head and pointed up abruptly at the ends, and the other was human, not quite as muscular but still more than able to crush Caleb’s skull in a heartbeat. They wore some sort of a uniform, complete with armor, shields, and swords. The minotaur went to the bartender. “We are working under Lord Sharp, and we were sent to look for one Jester Lavorre for committing great crimes against him.” His voice was low, rough, cute.

Caleb tried to hide the sudden nerves that had taken over him. He knew he needed to hide Jester, but he also wanted to gauge how safe they were.

“No one is staying there under that name, no. And you said Lavorre, right? Like...Marion Lavorre?” The bartender looked at them a bit oddly.

“Her relation to the Ruby of the Sea is none of our concern. What matters is her whereabouts.” The minotaur looked around the room. “Have you seen any blue tiefling women come in? Dark blue hair, short horns, rather small. Very strong accent.”

“Nope,” said the bartender, shaking their head. “Only tieflings that have come here so far are this man and his wife.” They pointed to Caleb. He put on his best forced smile, trying to seem like he wasn’t ready to bolt.

The minotaur turned towards Caleb. “Is your wife a local?”

“Ja, she was born and raised here. But she is pink, not blue, and her mother is most certainly not the Ruby of the Sea.”

“Is she good at disguises? The woman in question is a skilled master of disguise.”

Caleb shook his head. “Trust me, you would have to be more than a master to fool someone you’ve been sharing a home and a bed with for over a year. Besides, she has no magical abilities beyond her tiefling charms. She is much better with a knife than with a spell.”

This seemed to fool the man, who eyed Caleb with suspicion, but shrugged and sighed. “Alright. But do find us if someone of that description hangs around here.” He left a slip of paper with an address on it to the bartender and headed off.

As soon as they were gone, Caleb gave the bartender a very good tip and moved towards his room. He bumped into Jester in the hallway. Before she could even ask what was wrong, he led her back to their room and closed the door. “I do not think we are safe here, Jester,” he said curtly.

“What do you mean? What happened?” Jester furrowed her brow in concern.

“Lord Sharp’s guards were in the bar. They asked if you were here. I managed to steer them away for now, but they are looking for you. We should probably stay inside.” Caleb moved to the curtains by the window and closed them.

Jester sat down on the bed. “Are we going to sneak out? Use different disguises?”

“I think it might be safer to stay here.” He sighed, then turned to Jester when he saw her dejected face, moving closer and touching her shoulder softly as his face melted with concern. “Hey. Why don’t you cast Sending and tell your mother we are in town? Maybe she can help us get through safely.”

“Oh, okay.” Jester cheered up a bit. She cast Sending and told her mom, “Hi Mom. We’re all in town. Caleb and I are hiding. Lord Sharp’s looking for me. Everyone else is in another inn. Can you help?” She looked to Caleb, who had one finger up after counting all the words. “Thanks,” she added, a bit awkwardly. As soon as she finished the message, she sighed and leaned forward, tired. “What if she can’t help us, Caleb? What if we’re stuck here?”

Caleb wrapped an arm around her, much more comfortably now. “It will be okay. We will find some way out of this, okay?”

Jester looked up at Caleb. She smiled a little at him, then nodded. “Okay.”

The connection between them was growing stronger. They were being pulled together, as if controlled by strings, and soon that tug was leading them to kiss once more, for real this time.

But then a voice came in through Jester’s head. “Hello, Jester. Sorry to hear that Sharp is looking for you. Glad to know you’re safe. Stay hidden for now, wait until later to visit.” As much as Jester loved her mother’s voice, now really wasn’t the time. 

“Sorry, my mom responded,” said Jester, stopping them. “She says we should stay hidden for now.”

“Ah. Okay.” Caleb nodded, clearly a bit disappointed the mood had been killed. Then he got up, dropped the Polymorph spell and said, “Well, a good thing we have books, ja?”

Jester smiled, glad he wasn’t forcing anything. “Yeah. I got a new smut book.” She followed his lead, turning back to her old self before grabbing her book from her Haversack. Caleb summoned Frumpkin, whom he had instructed to hide with the others previously, and the two took off their boots and settled down on the bed, Frumpkin sandwiched between them, as they read their respective books. 

When Caleb finished his book -- it was a short read for him, and he was a fast reader anyways -- Jester made a face. “You’ve already finished?”

“Ja,” Caleb responded, getting up to return the book to his pack.

“But your book is bigger than mine, and we both started them from the beginning.”

“I am a fast reader,” Caleb responded with a shrug.

“Hmmph.” Jester used the spare Traveller pamphlet that she had been using as a bookmark, remembering the times Caleb had winced whenever she used to fold over the corners of the pages. She set aside the book, sighing. “So. What do you want to do now?”

“I have a few more books I can read,” Caleb said with a shrug.

Jester groaned. “But I’m bored, Caleb,” she said, extending his name for an extra second.

“I am sure there are more things you can do,” said Caleb.

“I’m sure there are plenty of things you can do, Caleb,” said Jester, as she rolled over to her side, propping up her head with one arm and putting the other hand on her hip. Her smile was infectious and her tail flicked a bit on the other side of the bed. It would’ve been enticing had she not been laying in front of a judgmental fey creature in the form of a cat.

Caleb sighed. “Oh, Jester. Of course you would say that.”

“What? It’s true.” Jester wiggled her eyebrows a bit, and Caleb narrowly stifled a laugh.

“Not in front of Frumpkin,” said Caleb curtly.

Jester started to protest, but she knew she’d always lose to the cat. Instead she rolled over and scratched Frumpkin on his head. Caleb told Frumpkin to sit on her, and the cat obeyed, purring up a storm and making biscuits. But the cat’s cuteness didn’t allay Jester’s clear disappointment. Caleb grabbed another book and almost sat down on the bed. But then he telepathically told Frumpkin, “Sorry, buddy,” before sending him back to Nott.

“Hey, where’d he go?” Jester asked, concerned.

“I sent him away,” Caleb said, sloughing off his coat and getting back onto the bed.

“Why’d you do that?” Jester scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and concern.

“Because I cannot do this in front of him.” And without any other words, he leaned in and kissed Jester. No interruptions. No crowds. Just them, together, lips pressed against each other. Her skin was nice and soft, and he was comforted by how easily she reciprocated. Eventually, they each shifted to be on their sides, holding one another as they kissed. Jester’s tail twined around Caleb’s calf. The feeling was comforting, in a strange way. His fingers went to her hair, threading through the blue locks, not pulling, not yet. He did not want to rush anything. His greatest fear was forcing anything on Jester. But then Jester started pausing every so often in their kisses to mutter Caleb’s name. It was soft and sweet and almost begging and oh gods, his brain was heading in a completely different direction--

“Jester,” Caleb said, pulling away. She whimpered softly. “If we continue, things might...get out of hand.”

“What if I want them to get out of hand?” Jester asked. No wiggly eyebrows, no teasing voice. Just a direct question.

“I normally would not resist but...I do not want to rush into this, Jester. I do not want to do anything you could regret. I do not want things to escalate when we are ill-equipped and for anything to...result from this.” He kissed her forehead, brushing her hair back. “My first time I was not ready, and we really were not prepared at all and...let us just say those next few weeks were very scary for both of us. I do not want you to experience that.”

“Was that with you and Astrid?” Jester asked, furrowing her brow.

“Ja. We were both far too young and immature and unprepared to be doing things of that nature. I would rather wait until we have the materials to go further safely, okay?”

Jester nodded. “Okay.” She was disappointed. All this kissing had her suddenly a bit horny, and she just wanted more of his lips and his hands and him, damn it, and taking risks was kind of in her nature. But Caleb was right. The last thing she wanted was to get accidentally knocked up before they were even a day into their actual relationship. She rolled over onto her back and took Caleb’s hand. At the very least, they could touch a little bit.

Caleb followed suit and sighed. This was...definitely different than being with Astrid. Nicer, though. The circumstances were better, but that was not a high bar to clear. They fell into silence once more, just lying there, looking at the ceiling, fingers interlaced.

“So…” Jester said, finally ending the quiet pause. “What are we, exactly?”

“What do you mean?” Caleb furrowed his brow, turning to look towards her.

“Like...are we dating?” She looked up at him.

“If that is what you want, I would like that very much, ja. If not, we can leave it as it was before.”

“Why would you think I’d want to do that? We just made out for like, ten minutes.”

“Four minutes and nineteen seconds but that is besides the point,” remarked Caleb. “The point is, I do not want to force you into doing anything you do not want.” He’d sooner die than make Jester do something completely against her will.

“Okay.” Jester sighed. She pressed a kiss to Caleb’s shoulder, careful not to stab him with her horn, but didn’t really pull back. Just stayed there. Caleb could practically feel her lips on his bare skin, and the temptation returned. He needed a distraction.

In another poor attempt at faking her accent, Caleb asked, “So, are you secretly in love with me?”

Jester looked up. “Was that supposed to be my accent?”

“Ja?”

She paused, narrowing her eyes, then snuggled against him. “You’re doing better now. Better than last time.”

Caleb took that as an invitation to keep up the imitation. “You didn’t answer my question…”

“Hey!” Jester poked him in the ribs. “Don’t tease me. I’m supposed to be the one teasing you!”

“I am only saying a fact, schatzie,” Caleb said, dropping the accent. “You did not answer my question. But if you do not want to--”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, Caleb…” Jester laid down on her back, turning away from Caleb. “I just...I don’t even know if this is love. I’ve never felt this way before. I mean...I’ve had crushes. I’ve cared for people. And I’ve definitely wanted to be with people. But this is like...a weird combination of the three? Like. I want to date you. I want to be with you. I care about you a lot. It hurts and scares me when you’re hurt or in danger. I want to hrmm-hrmm-hrmm you.” Caleb smiled a bit at that. “I think about you a lot. I daydream about you a ton. But I don’t know if that’s love or like...just strong feelings?”

“Well, love is strong feelings,” said Caleb, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I know,” Jester said, elbowing Caleb a bit. “But like...there’s a difference between really,  _ really  _ liking someone and love, right?”

Caleb nodded. “Ja, there is.”

“And there’s a difference between loving someone and really, really caring for them, right?”

“Mmhm.”

“But I don’t know what side I’m on, you know? I don’t know whether it’s love-love or like, friend-love mixed with a really big crush and a need to kiss you until I can't breathe.” Or do other things. Like suck his brains out or ride him like a moorbounder.

“I see your problem,” Caleb said. He was a little disappointed because...he knew he was in love with Jester. He’d known for some time that he was in love with her, and he’d been in love with her for some time before that, he had realized from looking back. But he did not want to force it. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Jester.

"What about you, Caleb? Are you secretly in love with me?" Her tone was joking and her smile was wide as she softly poked him in the ribs.

Gods, he wanted to tell the truth. But he couldn’t. He tried looking away, tried to stammer out an excuse, but when he looked back up, Jester’s face had changed. Her grin was gone and her violet eyes were grave.

“Oh. You do love me. Don’t you, Caleb?”

He looked away again. If only he could lie to her now. But not now. Not like this. “Ja,” he said softly. “I have loved you for...a long time.”

She furrowed her brow. “When did you know?”

“When did I know? Well, I had an inkling I liked you when I was telling you about Ikithon and the Cerberus Assembly. You were so busy trying to make me feel better. But I thought it was just liking you. And then I knew when you were looking for Frumpkin and I said he was in my heart, and you said I must have a big heart, then. That...that made me realize that no, that was love.”

Jester nodded. “I see.” She took his hand and kissed it, then pressed it close to her chest as she leaned in and sighed. “Thank you for telling me. I feel a little stupid for not noticing before.”

“I mean...I had feelings before that, looking back. I just denied them or never noticed either.” Caleb shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Jester asked, cocking her head as best as she could while lying on her side.

“Like, ah...I think I first started feeling things for you after the whole thing with the Iron Shepherds and Molly and we were at a bar and we were all talking about you while you were dancing alone and Fjord was talking about how you were singing in the cell and I was watching you and something just...clicked within me. I didn’t know what, but it did. And then it turned out to be...love.” It was the first time he had ever talked about loving her with anyone. Not even Nott. Then he looked up and asked, “Now, when did you start liking me?”

After a sigh and a moment’s thought, Jester said, “It’s kind of stupid.”

“Liking someone isn’t stupid.”

She smiled softly. He was always so good at making her feel better about herself. “You know...when I brought you those black moss cupcakes, and you took a blueberry one, and I said you could get those anywhere, and you said maybe so, and we just kind of looked at each other?”

“Ja, I remember that.” Caleb nodded slowly.

“That was when I knew I liked you. I mean, I probably had feelings before that, but they were so complicated, especially with the whole thing with Fjord, and the stuff with you and Astrid, and I was just so confused, and I just...never understood until that moment.”

Caleb’s soft smile returned, and he leaned up and kissed her on the forehead, then reached out with one hand and stroked her cheek. Silence settled over them. And then Caleb said, now with a lighter, more casual tone, “You said you daydream about me?”

Jester blushed, turning her cheeks a very lovely violet, not far from her eyes. She pressed her lips together and rubbed his hand with her thumb. “Uh...yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Would you mind sharing them?”

Oh, Traveller, the warmth was getting worse. “I mean, like. Some of them are about...well, you said you didn’t want to be tempted.”

Caleb took a deep breath. Ah.  _ Those  _ kinds of daydreams. He thought for a moment and said, “Well...maybe there could be some things we can do about that.” His free hand trailed down a little, down her neck, her collarbone, the side of her breast. They were both very aware of each other’s breathing. Stomach, thigh, to the end of her dress at her knees. As his clever blackened fingers hiked up her skirt, he said softly, “You can give me an example.”

“Um...well.” His fingers were like tiny embers dancing along her skin. Her free hand went to his shoulder just so she could get some grounding. “Well, the most recent one was of me and you. We were in one of the libraries in Xhorhaus. You were reading to me and I was looking over your shoulder.” His hand moved up to her hip, underneath her dress. It just lingered there, his thumb brushing over her skin. “You looked up and I leaned in and kissed you. And you liked it.”

“Ja, of course I would. It is you.” He leaned in and kissed her softly, without any haste or heat. After a moment, he pulled away and said, so close to her lips that she could feel his breath, “Go on.”

Jester took a deep breath. Her heart thudded, pounding like a war drum. “Well. You set aside your book and I got on your lap. And we kissed some more.”

“Were you straddling me?” Caleb asked curiously.

“No, I was…” She tried to find the words but couldn’t so she sat Caleb and herself up and got on his lap sideways. “Like this.”

The sudden pressure on his lap went right to Caleb’s dick, and suddenly he had to take a moment to breathe and get past the fact that ja, he had a boner, and ja, there was no way Jester couldn’t feel it. Somehow he managed to stammer, “Ja, I see.”

Jester giggled like mad, squirming ever so slightly on his cock as she said, “I’m not even at the smutty stuff, yet, Caleb. You must be really wound up.”

“Schatzie, my dear, I haven’t touched another person like this in nearly two decades.” His voice was tight with desperation and need. “Please, go on with your story.”

“Okay, Caleb…” Jester said, but not without one more twist of her perfect hips. “Anyways. I was kissing you, and your hands were just everywhere.” She leaned up to kiss him, giggling a little as she took Caleb’s hand and guided it to her breast. “Like here.”

Caleb must’ve been beet red as he kissed Jester. Fuck, all those times he wanted to touch and take and kiss were hitting him like bricks. Suddenly, it was just like she was talking about. They were kissing and his hands wandered all over her body. Hips, breasts, back, ass, thighs. Every part of her was perfect to him. And gods, he just wanted to lay her down and fuck her until they were both completely undone.

Some sensible voice in his head reeled him back.

“Then,” muttered Jester, as she moved one hand down between her legs, until for him to suddenly touch bare, wet skin. “You touched me here.”

“Are you...not wearing underwear?” Caleb’s face was concerned.

“I mean...open drawers are a thing in Nicodranas.” She shrugged, then smiled, waggling her eyebrows. “It frees you up for fun.”

Caleb nodded, feeling about as warm as a forest fire. “Go on.”

“Alright, alright. You were rubbing my cunt. Like this.” She guided his fingers, but he quickly picked up on the familiar movements. He’d been with Astrid, he knew how to do this. Their lips went back to kissing, and Jester began to moan softly. It was gorgeous, a soft, high sound that rang in his ears, stayed firmly in his mind, repeating over and over again. “You’re good at this, Caleb,” she said, weakly.

“Ja. I am not completely inexperienced. It just...has been a while.” He kissed her over and over again, rubbing more at her clit and making her moans louder, to the point that she had to pull away.

“Oh, fuck, Caleb,” she said, eyes fluttering shut. 

“What happened next?” Caleb asked.

“You...mmmm, fuck -- you started fingering me. Slow at first.” Her arms were wrapped around his neck and his free hand held her back so she wouldn’t slip and fall. As he slipped a finger into her, slowly and carefully, Caleb’s eyes drifted to her breasts. The dress seemed to be more low-cut than he recalled, and her chest was so very obvious with her breathing. “Yeah, Caleb, that’s good. That feels really good.”

“I am glad.” Caleb kissed her some more, loving the vibrations of her moans on his tongue. His fingers, his blessed, clever fingers, managed to hit her g-spot, pulling some lovely sounds out of her.

“More?” she asked, voice whining and needy.

Caleb couldn’t resist that.

Another finger slipped in. Jester moaned more, wanting so badly to fuck him now. But she wasn’t sure if that was what he wanted, so she stayed silent. She could pose the question later.

His fingers were lovely inside her. She’d tried playing with herself, but her fingers were too short and inexperienced to really get her anywhere just with penetration. While Jester didn’t know if the Traveller had anything to do with Caleb’s appearance, some deity had looked down upon him and blessed him with long fingers and insanely good muscle memory. Thank the gods someone was looking out for her.

“More?” Caleb asked, kissing her cheek.

Jester nodded. “Please. I’m getting close.”

“Good,” Caleb muttered. He slipped another finger in. It was a little tight but she was wet and relaxed enough that it wasn’t unpleasant. Eventually, her body adapted, and the tightness turned purely pleasurable. 

“If you go faster, I’ll cum,” Jester moaned.

“I want you to,” Caleb responded. And he obeyed. Soon the room was filled with the obscene sounds of his fingers in her cunt and her moans and his kisses all over her cheek. The moaning quickly became a cry as her body tightened and quaked and she squirted a little on his hand. Then the sounds of fingering and moans turned into just her pants and his sweet pecks along her neck.

“Wow, that was...holy shit.” She was very relaxed and tired, limply holding on to Caleb.

“Ja. Wunderbar.” Caleb kissed her gently. She shifted and rubbed just right on his cock through his trousers, and without Jester’s pleasure distracting him, he moaned, low and soft.

“Oh, shit, I forgot you’re hard,” she said softly. Then she smiled, her mischievous grin returning. “You know, there are ways to take care of that without any risks, Caleb.”

“You do not have to, schatzie, I--”

Before he could finish, Jester kissed him. “Let me. Please?”

Caleb nodded hesitantly. “Alright, liebling. If you want to.”

“I do…” Jester said, sliding down to the floor as Caleb shifted to the edge of the bed, fumbling with his belt and trousers. “I mean, I’ve been wanting to suck your dick for a while now, you know.”

“Fair, fair.” Caleb shifted a little as he pulled down his pants and underclothes. Out popped a nice, hard cock, pale along the shaft with a really cute pinkish head, curved slightly. Jester had forgotten that dicks grew when they got hard, and the phrase “he’s a grower, not a shower” suddenly came to mind because wow, that was impressive. Caleb must’ve caught her staring because he awkwardly mumbled, “Is it bad?” to her with a considerable blush on his cheeks.

“No, no, no!” she said, hands moving to his legs. “It’s really nice.”

“Like...Molly nice?” Caleb asked, smirking ever so slightly.

Jester snickered. “I mean, Molly had the benefit of being purple and a tiefling. But you guys are like, definitely tied, at least.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Oh, Jester.”

“You love me,” Jester teased before getting up on her knees so she could reach.

After taking a long breath in, Caleb nodded. “Ja. I do.”

Jester’s grin widened as she took his dick in her hand carefully, stroking it softly. “This alright?”

“Ja. If you go slow I can help you through it.” Caleb smiled softly.

“Oh, have you sucked a dick before Caleb?”

“I have before, ja. When I was younger.”

“Was it after the whole thing with everyone?” Jester figured it was best not to mention the whole Cerberus Assembly thing when her hand was on his dick.

“Nein. It was before.”

Jester sat up. “Who?”

Caleb sighed. “He was this farm boy. Technically a neighbor, but when you’ve got farmland it’s not like you’re right next door. He was bigger than me, buff, tall. Very handsome. And our mothers were friends, so we were obligated to socialize.” He chuckled slightly. “I had a huge crush on him. He was my first. We had this puppy love thing. And then I went to Soltryce and, well...you know the rest.”

“Ah. Makes sense. So you have a lot of experience?” She smiled as her lips approached his cock.

“More than you, mein Geliebte,” Caleb teased with the fondest of smiles.

Jester moved even closer so that her lips traced over the skin of his cock. It was surprisingly soft. “Then why don’t you show me?”

Caleb took in a sharp breath. Explaining how to suck a dick was beyond him at the moment; how do you explain something you just do? After taking a moment to form his thoughts, he said, “Alright. You’ve got your hand there. That is good. Uh...trace your tongue along the shaft a little?”

“Okay.” Jester obeyed and oh dear, Caleb was already moaning softly. He’d had his dick sucked before, by men and women and people who were both or neither, but forked tongues were definitely a new element he’d never experienced before. And she wasn’t half bad, knowing already to drag her tongue up the shaft, trace her tongue along the head, move her hand up and down gradually. With her tongue sticking out and pressed to his dick, she asked, “Is this good?” with a heavy lisp.

“Ja, ja, very good, please continue.” Caleb’s hand moved towards her head. “Do you want me to...guide you as you take me?”

She nodded, mouth a little too preoccupied to speak.

“Okay, schatzie. Squeeze my legs twice if you need me to stop, okay?”

Another nod. Good.

He placed his hand on her head, not pulling her hair, just slowly guiding her. “This alright, schatzie? Squeeze really tight for yes, squeeze twice for no.”

She gripped his legs tightly as she took more of him in.

“Let go when you need me to stop, okay?”

Jester briefly let go, then squeezed again. She took quite a bit, a couple of inches from the hilt, before having to pull back a little as she let go, feeling her gag reflex activate. He eased up, remembering exactly where her limit was.

“You alright?” he asked. She gave him a really tight squeeze as she tried to take more in. “Slowly, Jester,” he said, a bit worried. She obeyed, pulling back again. He moaned softly. “There we go. You’re getting it now. Just move your head like that.”

Jester’s eyes closed as she began to lose herself to the task. His cock tasted and felt really nice in her mouth, soft and heavy with a slightly salty taste to it, and his moans, all deep and guttural, were driving her mad. Had she not needed a rest from cumming, she’d be ready to go right then and there. 

“Jester, that’s good,” he muttered, voice soft as his hands became less guiding and more rewarding, petting her head or combing through her hair as she took control. Her tongue moved in a way that was wonderfully new, a bit clumsy but making up for it with enthusiasm. His moans slowly picked up. He wasn’t loud by any means; when your first relationships are born in secrecy, you get a habit for quietness. But what little noise he made, Jester really liked.

As she moved, she moaned as well, the slight hum of her voice vibrating his cock pleasantly. The new sensation brought a new, low noise from him, as his back arched slightly and he began to whisper. “Bitte, schatzie, bitte, I am close,  _ please _ .”

Jester grinned, picking up speed as she continued moaning. Her mind went to her smutty books, and she wondered what he would taste like. It wasn’t long before she got what she wished for; Caleb took her head in his hands and, with a sharp cry, bucked into her mouth, not quite making her gag. Cum shot onto her tongue, and when he let her go, she coughed, making a face. It did  _ not _ taste nearly as pleasant as the books had said.

With a furrowed brow, Caleb pulled Jester up to the bed, hands cradling her face as he leaned in. “Are you okay? I am sorry, I lost control at the end--”

“No, it’s fine,” Jester said, smiling. “It was just surprising. I don’t think any of my books really prepared me for that.”

Caleb sighed, body relaxing as he pressed a kiss into Jester’s forehead. “Ich liebe dich, schatzie,” he muttered against her skin.

Jester grinned, skin feeling pleasantly warm. “Thank you, Caleb.” She kissed him on the lips, and they laid down on the sheets of the bed, tired and entangled against the cool sheets.


End file.
